It Only Takes a Minute
by A.Single.Gal
Summary: Clawen AU. Do you believe in love at first sight? Owen surely didn't, until the redhead sitting actross from him makes him start to think that 'love at first sight' is actually a real thing.
1. Chapter 1

It was a raining evening, and for Claire Dearing it had been a long day too. She had worked until late and had barely caught the subway on her way home. She almost missed it for about five minutes.

She usually took one that's earlier than this one but she had gotten caught up at the office.

She hadn't been able to release the sigh she had been holding until both her heels were behind the doors. She held from the handle and adjusted her rain coat.

She found an empty seat on the row by the door and took it. She sat by the window and set her bag and umbrella on the one beside hers.

The subway was almost empty, as she looked around she could only count a few people who were riding along with her.

She took her cellphone out and managed to send a couple of e-mails that she had missed from before she left the office.

It was a long distance between now and her stop. It would be over a couple of hours before she made it home. She basically had a trip from one end of the city to the other. This caused her to be up from really early in the morning every day.

She checked the time on her iPhone's screen, it was only eight at night, but she was completely drained. She set the alarm clock for it to buzz and wake her up in case she fell asleep. She didn't want to miss her stop.

She rested her head against the window and gently closed her eyes. It was only until a couple of stops later when she opened them.

To her, it felt like she had just blinked. She checked the time on her wristwatch; half an hour had gone by.

Across from her was a young man who hadn't been able to take his eyes off of her.

He had been watching her sleep for the past fifteen minutes. But not in a creepy kind of way, he was admiring her. To him, it was like he was contemplating an angel.

He found her fascinating. He had been wondering the color of her eyes and now that she had opened them and offered to make contact with him; he was convinced...she had the most beautiful pair of eyes. But he also couldn't think of another woman who was as beautiful.

She looked so peaceful while she was asleep, he wondered what her story was. He wished he knew for how long she'd been on the subway before he got on and was hoping his stop wasn't before hers.

He needed to see her again, that was for sure.

Owen Grady was convinced he could get used to the image of such a gorgeous woman sleeping or just her presence in general.

After a second of eye contact, Claire smiled at him. She adjusted on her seat and casually looked away. Her eyes watching the city pass by through the window, rain drops falling against it.

He had never believed in love at first sight, but something inside was telling him he should now. That gentle smile had confirmed he had found his soulmate.

This had to be it. He had an inner urge to just reach out and kiss her.

Owen didn't have her name and he was trying to figure out a way to ask not only for it but possibly a phone number.

But— would she give it to him? Or would he just scare her off.

On his end, time seemed to freeze each time she'd make eye contact with him. But time needed to catch up and it would rush forward when their eyes weren't looking at each other.

He knew time was running, each stop made his heart race. Was this one hers? He felt a sense of relief when she didn't walk off.

It didn't take long for Claire to slowly close her eyes and fall back asleep.

It made Owen feel like he needed to protect her. She had her raincoat on, but he was fighting the impulse to take his jacket off and tuck her in with it.

He had never felt like this before. Would people think he was a creep if they could listen to the rush of emotions running through his mind?

He surly hoped not, because nothing in this world was more pure than the woman sitting across from him.

After she managed to relax, Claire dropped her cellphone. She was asleep and didn't feel it slipping out of her fingers.

Owen slowly reached out for it. He bent over and was now just a few inches away from her her.

He could treasure the constellation of freckles dancing in her cheeks and nose. The details of her face, she was more perfect than he could tell from his seat.

He smiled softly and kept her cellphone with him waiting for her to wake up so he could hand it over. He would never dare wake her up.

Then, his mind played him a little trick, planting a little idea in his head. He slowly leaned over again, and carefully took her hand and closed her fingers around the cellphone.

She was warm and her porcelain skin was soft. His thoughts were interrupted by the voice coming from the speaker above her seat.

He frowned, a feeling of sadness overtaking him. The next stop was his. He wondered if he'd ever see her again. Would he have to live with the reality that he saw the woman of his dreams but couldn't even catch her name?

The subway came to a stop. He stood up and waited for the doors to open.

"Thanks."

He turned back, the redhead had woken up from his touch. Her voice forever registered in his mind.

"You're welcome." He nodded.

The smile she offered was slowly returned, sharing a moment that would last till the end.

He stepped off the subway feeling completely defeated, because he would never see her again, he would never be with her.

* * *

 **A/N:** I wrote this as a little one shot. But with enough persuasion, I may continue the story.


	2. Chapter 2

An ordinary day for Owen Grady usually started with him getting up at eight in the morning. He was a heavy sleeper. He didn't believe in pajamas and only slept with his boxers on and with one light blanket over him. Otherwise, he would feel like he was suffocating. How did people manage to sleep under the heat of an entire bed set? While wearing socks? People were weird. He was the kind of bachelor who was used to having the bed all for himself; he'd sleep sprawled on his belly, leaving no room for even a small dog or a cat on that mattress. It seemed a good thing he wasn't the type to have a pet. He was also the kind who insisted he didn't need an alarm clock to wake him up, that his 'inner clock' would always do the trick for him, except this was a lie and he was always oversleeping. He relied on a friend from work to call him and drag his ass out of bed.

That's why his cellphone had been buzzing on his night stand for the past few seconds. Owen groaned and pulled his pillow over his head. The first two call intents had gone straight to voice mail, but he knew his friend didn't give up easy. It was a matter of either answering or let that annoying buzzing keep going. He figured he should do the picking up thing.

His head still under the pillow, Owen blindly reached out and started to move his fingers around until he felt the cellphone.

"New phone who's this?" Owen finally picked up the phone after bringing it under the pillow to his ear.

"Rise and shine, sleeping beauty." His friend said enthusiastically for Owen's amusement.

"Bye." He hung up and slowly let one leg slid out of the bed. His foot feeling around for his sandal before he let the rest of his body get out of bed.

From there, he would go straight to the shower, find some fresh clothes, and head out to the subway station. It was on his way when he stopped by this local diner where he always had breakfast. He needed a big meal to function; pancakes, scrambled eggs, bacon strips, sausage, hash brown, and a big tall glass of orange juice. He ate fast so it normally took him about half an hour to come in and out. From there, it was over to the subway station and head to the city for work.

For the past couple of weeks, he had adapted a tendency to look closer every time he saw a redhead. It didn't matter how hard he tried, he couldn't erase her face from his mind. The way she smiled was forever graved in his memory, her freckles invading the sweetest of dreams. So he was not going to give up, it didn't cost anything to hope that one of them would be _his_ redhead.

They never were, specially because she wasn't from around. He was very aware that his best bet was the subway, but a man could always hope.

He had sat down to think about it, try come up with a plan so he could see her again. While sitting at his favorite breakfast place, it had occurred to him how everybody followed some sort of routine. He was always at that place at the same time every day, and he knew he had to take the train at a certain time if he wanted to make it by ten to the city for work.

He had taken notice of his surroundings, how he always saw some of the customers at that small diner stop by for some coffee on their way to their whereabouts. He had noticed how on his way to the subway station, he would find the same business men having their shoes shone by the same kid around the same corner, and how right across from them this one old lady would always be buying the day's newspaper from the same magazine stand.

It was a small world, so he figured that the only thing standing between him and the woman of his dreams was the odds to cross paths with her again. He only had one vague detail to work with in order to fulfill his heart's strongest desire; the love of his life had been on that one subway that one night.

He knew she hadn't since then, because he had spent the past ten days making sure he took the same subway back home and on each stop he would move from one subway car to the next looking for her. He was determined to find her, even if so far his heart ached with failure. He didn't let that feeling of defeat kill his determination. Each night, he'd be anxiously waiting at his stop for the subway to open the doors and hopefully revealed that beautiful redhead sitting there.

* * *

No one followed a routine by the second the way Claire Dearing did. She had every activity of her day planned out, sometimes even colored code. Everything she needed done had an specific time frame. She woke up at five in the morning on weekdays, she had thirty minutes to shower and fifteen to change. Then she had five minutes to leave her bed made. Ten minutes to brush her teeth and flush, she also had the minutes counted for how long it took her to do her make-up and her hair.

However, there were times when circumstances out of her control would interrupt the flow she had planned for her day. Today hadn't started well for the redhead, she was on her usual seven am subway, ready to head over to work when a delay was announced through the speakers.

The apologetic five-minute delay had turned into an hour. She had spent this time calling work to let them know she was running late and also reorganizing her entire itinerary around this little set behind.

When the train finally took off, the redhead was able to start relaxing; nothing stressed her out more than losing control over her time and plans, specially when there was nothing she could do to gain it back. She took a deep breath and sighed in relief as she felt the subway moving forward towards the next stop.

It was eight in the morning by then, so she should be in the city by ten if no other delay got in her way. Claire started working on her e-mails so the hour she was running behind wouldn't be a complete loss, in a matter of seconds she was completely merged in the little work she could do on her iPhone.

That morning, she was sitting at the back, she was wearing a black pencil skirt and blazer suit. She adjusted on her seat and fixed her skirt. If she'd known she'd be sitting on that train for longer than usual, she'd have worn some pants. This whole experience had been not only an inconvenience for the redhead but also a source of irritability and frustration.

She kept her bag on the seat next to hers with the purpose of avoiding anyone to sit there. She simply wasn't in the mood to share space with anyone at the moment. The subway was relatively empty, anyways since most people at her stop had taken the offer to have a complementary bus ride over to the most convenient stop. Claire hadn't been able to afford that option, she had to go across town and it would take longer by bus, than it would be to wait for the subway to resume service and the trip combined.

Owen's day on the contrary, hadn't been affected by the delay. He had to head to the city and be there after ten so the eight thirty am subway that was now being announced on the screens should get him there in time.

He was standing at the stop, wearing a pair of washed up jeans, a Van Halen t-shirt, and combat boots. He was holding his usual morning coffee, taking advantage of the seconds it took for the doors to open to have a sip.

He stepped on and noticed his usual spot was already taken, he usually sat on the back by the window. However, he didn't care at all, in fact it was perfect because the beautiful young woman sitting on his seat was no other than the woman he wished he'd see one more time.

He was suddenly nervous. He froze, his free hand holding from the handle over him while his eyes were glued to her. People were passing by him and taking on the empty seats.

He had played this moment in his head with different scenarios, and yet his brain had forgotten how to function. His ears were registering the fast beating his heart was offering. He could feel his hands swearing as he held onto that handle.

He was looking at her so intensely, that it made him wonder if she could feel his hazel eyes on her.

Apparently she did, because Claire looked up from her cellphone and casually made eye contact with him. She returned the smile he didn't know he was wearing, it was a bright one the one on his lips, so dazzling it made her blush a little.

After a second, she shifted on her seat and casually reached out for her bag, she rested it on her lap, and hugged it against her chest. She quietly tilted to the side and looked out the window.

This was it, this was the one shot he had been pleading to have, that one opportunity to see her again. He found courage to walk over and ask her if the seat next to her was taken. It felt so off for him to feel like this; so sheepish. He was a confident alpha male who knew what he wanted. He knew he wanted her, that's why he had been determined to find her but now that he had, he was out of words.

Her beauty had him speechless. He wondered if she remembered him, she didn't seemed to which disappointed him but regardless, he was not about to bring that night up.

Owen took the seat next to hers once she shook her head and let him take it. He was good at reading people, he had a gift for picking on behavior. It didn't take a genius to figure out she had had that bag down on the seat next to hers to keep it off limits, maybe because she wanted some space. The fact that she had taken the bag away right after she had caught him staring boosted his confidence, the only problem was that he couldn't measure it and had a peculiar sense of humor that not everybody found funny.

He only hoped she would.

"I'm Owen. I think we should at least have a conversation before we get married."

Claire laughed, slightly amused. She moved her sight from the window over to him and let her green eyes study the man sitting next to her; he was handsome. She immediately thought he had a cute smile, that cheeky one he was offering radiating the kind of confidence she found sexy.

"I'm Claire." She decided to introduce herself after a couple of seconds of silence. She was always hesitant when it came to giving her name to a complete stranger. But she had this off feeling about him, like she had known him from somewhere. It was that odd feeling one would get when meeting someone knew but the connection that immediately sparks between them makes it feel like they've known each other since ever.

He smiled at the sound of her name, it suit her. It was now the most beautiful name he had ever heard.

"And I'd need more than just a conversation before we get married." She flirted back.


	3. Chapter 3

The sound of Claire's belly laugh was filling the subway car, her right hand linked with Owen's, their fingers curled around each other's. His eyes were soft on her while she kept laughing, he took advantage of the moment and let his thumb gently caress the back of her hand and play with her knuckles.

She had been laughing for a few seconds and the sound of it was simply the most adorable he had ever heard. He had made a quick mental note to try make her laugh as much as he could, it was a good thing he thought of himself as someone humorous and that she found him to be actually funny.

"I'm pretty sure that's a foul." She managed to say between her laughter. She was resting her free hand on her stomach, and then reached over to brush some light tears from her eyes. She couldn't remember when was the last time she had laughed this hard.

"It's not!" He promised, "it's called the sneak attack tactic." He explained. They had been engaging in thumb-wresting for about fifteen minutes now, and for that last match Owen had used his pointer finger to take her over.

"And I'm sure you have the how-to-play manual with you to back this up." She nodded incredulously. Claire wasn't an expert on this little game, but she was positive that using any other finger but your thumb to try defeat the opponent had to be cheating.

"You are the kind who has to read the whole guide before playing, aren't you?" He teased her, "it must be a blast to play board games with you." He sarcastically pointed out, "according to page six section four, if you land on space twenty you get double points." He started with a mocking voice.

"There's not such thing as a 'sneak attack tactic'." She decided to ignore his observation since he was absolutely right about that aspect of her personality, and instead decided to bring the subject back on track.

"There is!" He insisted with a chuckle, "but okay, it's not valid. We are still three - two." He nodded in agreement, a smile on his face. Claire was beating him by one point so far. It was impressive how strong she was and also how determined. Each passing second he spent talking to her and just getting to know her, the more he knew she was the one.

The redhead licked her lips and nodded, she chuckled and took a deep breath trying to keep her laugher under control. "One, two, three, four, we declare a thumb war." She started this time, both of them following the little initiation.

"Five, six, seven, eight, with this hand I masturbate." Owen added as he kept moving his thumb from one side of hers to the other.

"Oh lord." Claire blushed and laughed some more, however she didn't fail on tightening her grip around his fingers. If what he wanted was to catch her off guard, then she was not going to let him have it. She fixed her green eyes on his hazel ones. It almost felt like they were having both a thumb war and a stare contest simultaneously.

She giggled and tilted her head while both their thumbs wrestled it out. She moved her eyes down to their hands and bit on her lips trying to concentrate. He couldn't keep his eyes off of her, and kept smiling to himself watching her wrinkle her nose and just focus on memorizing every little gesture she did.

Maybe that was the reason behind her triumph over him; he just kept getting distracted by her and it eventually ended with Claire being able to pin his thumb down for those three seconds.

She celebrated her victory until she brought her sight back and caught him staring. The redhead couldn't help fix her eyes on his and smile softly. They both were quiet for a second, just letting their eyes express how much they were enjoying this little moment. A second that made Owen wonder if this is how heaven felt like.

"So—" She cleared her throat and looked away after realizing how easy she was letting herself get lost in his expressive hazel eyes, "where did you learn to wrestle?" She went back to the casual conversation they were having before they started playing. Claire tried to get her hand back, but Owen pulled it closer to him and kept his fingers curled around hers just like they had been for a while.

"High school." He shrugged. His freehand slowly reached over and he allowed his finger pads gently brush the freckles on her forearm. She had taken off her blazer half way into their game and it was now between her and the subway wall on top her bag.

She chuckled and bit on the inside of her lips while her eyes watched his fingers explore each of her freckles. The feeling of his rough fingertips ignited tickles that she could feel traveling along her arm and explode in her belly.

"My dad said I had to pick a sport and I figured wrestling would get my mom so nervous and unease that she'd make my dad have me quit." He shared with a soft tone of voice. "But I ended up actually liking it." He finally looked up from her creamy arm up to her eyes and offered a cheeky smile, his hand still gently caressing her arm.

They were strangers and her mind was screaming this back at her, but her heart kept making her feel comfortable around him. She didn't mind that a man she had just met an hour ago was caressing her arm and keeping her fingers hostage around his. It felt good, actually. It gave her this fuzzy feeling in her stomach. The famous butterflies.

"And then the Navi." She nodded, she had been paying attention to everything he had shared with her about his life and she could tell he had done the same. Forty-five minutes of casual conversation had felt like the most honest one she had had in her life. She could only wonder what else there was to know about him and she was hoping to find out in the next half an hour of their subway trip to the city.

"Yes, babe." He smiled, his hand pulling back not wanting to overdo the affection it had been offering. Owen was a man of opportunity, calling her babe had been very much intentional. He had been studying the way her skin reacted to his touch, the way her lips curved into a smile at the feeling, and how she didn't flinch back. Now he was waiting for her reaction to such a pet name.

Claire pursed her lips lightly and narrowed her eyes gently at the sound of it. She was the kind of woman who would have demanded he didn't call her 'babe' or any other name of the sorts. However, she let it pass; enabling him to try get more intimate.

"What about you? What kind of power is the one you crave?" He had learned she was a political science major and was now working as a legislative assistant. He could only assume she was a woman who liked to be in control, he had noticed a couple of trades in her personality that corroborated this.

The redhead couldn't even deny she wanted power, was there truly a political science major out there who didn't? Why study laws and how to make them, bend them, break them if you weren't interested in creating your own? "I want to be able to create rules that will protect animals and bring awareness to their rights as living creatures." She simply stated.

It figured, a control freak who needed to read all the rules so she could then scratch them and create her own, "So you are a little rule breaker, aren't you?" He tried to put it nicely. "What is the wildest thing you've ever done? When it comes to breaking rules, I mean." He asked, very interested in that side of her. He was the same, and wanted to see if they were compatible in a way. Who was he kidding, really? He was already in love with her and didn't care about compatibility, he was just curious to see how wild she was.

"When I was in high school, my back then boyfriend and I broke into our school during summer break so we could use the pool." She laughed and looked down, letting her hair fall on her face to cover her warm red cheek. "That's lame now that I say it ten years later." She shook her head.

"No...no." He chuckled along. "It's cute." He nodded, his thumb slowly started to wrestle hers while their fingers were still curved around each other. He had their hands resting on his lap as they casually let their fingers play. "Have you ever played twenty questions?" He was finding an excuse to keep asking her things that would reveal to him more about who she was, and at the same time gather some intimate details about her.

"I'll go first." She immediately agreed to play along, he had just asked her something and she figured it was only fair if she asked next. "What childish thing do you still enjoy?" She smirked softly. He was calling her out for being someone who liked control, so she was letting him know she had taken noticed and it was evident he was still a child in many ways.

"I like peeing in snow." He answered bluntly with his hands in the air and a shrug, it was true. He could do that all day, just pull his pants down and draw with pee over the snow.

Claire laughed which made him smile brightly, "so you are the kind who signs their name in the snow." She rolled her eyes and shook her head.

"Yeah." He shrugged. "Okay my turn, what is the most embarrassing thing you own?" He asked her with a light smile and tilted his head, his eyes on her lips.

Claire smiled at his question and looked up for a moment, she really needed to think this one through. It probably had to be something from her teenage years, she was a teen in the late nineties so this one shouldn't be hard, "a copy of Savage Garden's Affirmation." She started laughing, "does that count?"

"Yes, specially if you still own it." He gave her a look, that was some garbage she listened to, the young man thought to himself.

"What about your t-shirt? Is that the kind of girl you like? Your type?" She teased him, making him look down at the sexy woman on a bike he had on it. It was the band's biker pin up T-shirt, it was a classic.

"Not at all." He shook his head, "I just really like the band." He looked up and smiled at her, "I'm more into women who like cheesy pop music." He teased her with a chuckle.

"I'm not into it anymore, so I guess we are no longer compatible." She shrugged and looked away but couldn't help grin to herself, her back on him. She had finally been able to get her hand back.

"You are a hundred percent a match." He assured her before licking his lips.

Claire slowly turned over to face him and smiled back, "What long shot have you taken that really paid off?"

Owen parted his lips ready to tell her, the answer was her. She was his long shot and he really wanted her to know that. But time was up, and the speakers were letting him know they were at his stop.

He gathered his things and let his eyes have a last glance at her, her eyes, and those freckles.

"I guess this is your stop, huh?" She frowned, she didn't want to say goodbye. Claire looked down to her hands after he nodded, but her eyes were soon drawn back to his. She too wanted to memorize the way he looked at her. She'd noticed how easy he got lost in her eyes and she liked the feeling.

"Get off with me." He asked once the subway came to a stop and the doors opened. They had a couple of minutes to get off.

"What?" She frowned.

"You asked me what was the longest shot I've ever taken, this is it. Asking you to get off on my stop and spend the day with me. That's my long shot, I know I'm just a stranger, but don't deny we share this electrifying connection." He's voice was breaking, afraid of rejection. He had learned it was just a fluke that she had been on that train because of a delay and he didn't know if he'd ever see her again.

Claire rubbed her arm and looked out the window. She had work, she had a full day planned out with things she had to do. She couldn't afford to get off the train with a stranger and on a stop that wasn't even hers, in a side of the city she wasn't familiar with. And spend the day with him? That was outrageous.

"Please." He begged her.

She once again found her green eyes lost in his hazel ones, at the moment looking so broken. They had had this spark in them all the ride over and she could see how it was shutting down, like a flame without oxygen. She could also feel that fuzzy feeling in her stomach dying down as the speaker kept insisting the train would start moving soon.

She reached out for her bag and her blazer and taking his hand, they both quickly moved towards the exit. The doors immediately shutting down behind them.

He smiled at her, his heart racing. The moment felt surreal, she had truly gotten off the subway and gifted him with not only an amazing ride to his stop, but with the opportunity to spend the whole day with her. Owen knew this was about to be the best day he could dream of, and some how he had a few hours to figure out how to turn it into the first day of the rest of his life.


	4. Chapter 4

Owen knew he was about to have the best day of his life. It didn't matter how it went, what they did, or even if it rained. He knew it couldn't get better than this; the peculiar sound of her laugh and the way her freckles sparkled in his eyes. He felt he owned it to her to give her that kind of day back.

The only thing he planned out for their day was that he wouldn't plan anything at all. Not only because he didn't have time; the walk out of the subway station up to the streets only took a minute after all, but because he believed himself to be spontaneous and planning things ahead of time was not his thing.

He never thought he would be lucky enough to have it like this, so he had made out of that subway trip the best he could, find every detail on how her ordinary day looked like.

He was going to be the one to let her forget about all that, and have an extraordinary day out with him. They had an entire city to explore and forget about everything else.

Claire was about to step into an extinct world with him, one without cellphones and other distractions. One where there was nothing around them but real and genuine human interaction. He was going to gift her with a day that would break that boring routine she had, Owen knew she was taking a risk and stepping out of her comfort zone for him and he was determined to make it worth it — maybe if he impressed her, even have a second round at it.

He thought back to more simple times, what did people do to have fun and just a good time all around before they got sucked onto spending their time looking at a screen? He had never let himself get imprisoned by all this, he only used his cellphone for the necessary; call or text someone for an emergency, his cellphone plan didn't even include data usage at all. He didn't need it, what for? What was the gain in sitting there iMessaging someone when you could call them, suggest meet up for a cup of coffee or tea and talk face to face instead? Sure life got busy, but that didn't stop previous generations to keep it real.

Owen's mind traveled back to his childhood and the first half of his adolescence; back to the nineties. She sure remembered how it was like to live in that era. Claire had confessed to have a CD of trashy pop music from back then, after all.

He had made up his mind, he was going to imprint his existence, the memory of having met him old-schooled. He hoped he would see her again and even more than once, but if he didn't ...at least he wanted to make sure she would never forget that one guy who had given her the kind of day no one seemed to be able to afford anymore. He didn't have the money for an expensive gem or a luxury dinner, but he had the time to make a lasting impression and he was going to use every second to dig a deep one.

Before he could give her the most precious gift there was, he needed two things from her; the first one was for her to agree turn her cellphone off and keep it in her purse. He had done the same with his and put it in there with hers.

Claire was surprised at how easy it had been for him to be able to convince her to do this, but she figured she was already going to skip work to be with him. She should also disconnect herself from it, if she was going to miss a day of work she should do it properly.

The second thing was those heels she was wearing. He hadn't asked her to get off the subway with him so they could spend the day stuck in traffic while taking a cab or an Uber from one place to the next. Besides, even if he didn't know how the day would turn out, he knew heels just wouldn't do.

That's how they ended up at a small shoe store just around the corner from the subway station. To his relief, she hadn't questioned him and had agreed to get some comfortable shoes for their day out in town.

Owen had learned she was a size nine and a half while insisting to be he who would go search for the perfect pair. He requested for Claire to wait for him sat on a shoe bench nearby.

The redhead did as told, she took that time to take her heels off and place them one next to the other, perfectly aligned, near her seat. She looked around wondering what was taking Owen so long, but he truly was making sure he found the perfect pair of shoes for her to wear.

It was until she heard what sounded like a trumpet come from behind her, that she turned around — and so did everyone else in that isle and nearby.

He had a spot on mouth trumpet sound. Owen had truly fooled her there, making her think he had gotten one with him. He was playing the universal trumpet announcement while he carried a shoebox in his hands and took cautious steps, almost marching his way over to her.

The redhead was curious, her head tilted to the side and her lips pursed offering him her entire attention. Her green eyes followed him, she was giggling as he kept producing that trumpet sound through his teeth and lips. What was he up to this time?

"By the Duke's command," He cleared his throat and slowly kneeled down on one knee by her side. "Every lady in the kingdom must try this pair of sneakers." He started to recite, his hands opening the shoebox he had set down on the floor. "And only if they fit!" He exclaimed with determination, "shall the dame be worth of a lovely day out in the city with this handsome gentleman." He purposely overdid a cheeky grin for her.

Claire was giggling at his entire little sketch. It was the most adorable thing she had ever seen. She bit on her lower lip and watched him unwrap the black funky casual slip-ons he had picked for her.

"So milady, if I may?" He gently asked before taking her right foot in his hands and tenderly rested it on his lap.

Green eyes asked for a second of contact with his hazel ones, a soft smile curved in her lovely lips. This was how fairy tales felt like, and it was impossible not to fall for them.

Owen took the shoe out of the box and slowly slipped it on, "the perfect fit." He murmured before looking up, his fingers caressing the instep of her foot.

"The perfect fit." She echoed with a light murmur.

* * *

Owen and Claire had rented a couple of bicycles so they could move around town. Hers had a cute little basket on the front. She had her purse, blazer, and the shoebox with her heels in it.

The redhead had also insisted to wear a helmet, it was a busy city after all. She might have left her itinerary and her predictable routine back at the subway station, but she was still herself and couldn't help go by the book. A helmet was mandatory and it didn't cost anything to be extra cautious about these things.

"I haven't ridden one of these in like eighteen years." She laughed while shifting on the seat, getting used to it and comfortable. "So if I fall on my ass, don't laugh." She smiled wide.

He leaned over and fixed the helmet on her head. "You won't fall." He promised, his hand caressing her shoulder gently. "Are you ready, pretty lady?"

"Mhmm.." She nodded and slowly set her right foot on the pedal for impulse before she started riding the bike. She laughed fighting with the handlebar as she slowly gained control of it and managed to keep her balance.

Owen was pedaling just a few inches away from her, making sure she got it. So far it looked like she was enjoying this, and he was relieved. It wasn't like he had any doubt that she wouldn't, but she truly didn't look like the kind of woman to get on a bike and start riding it through town.

Claire Dearing was full of surprises and he couldn't wait discover them all.

They both rode their bikes down the street, it seemed to be a calmed morning for traffic too which was something to be grateful for. They were going without a set destination, just two people following the road in front of them while enjoying the fresh air hit their faces.

They both stopped at a red light, this gave Owen time to look up and study their surrounding and figure out where exactly in town they were standing, "there's a park three blocks down to our left and then straight end." He smiled.

She turned to look at him, her feet resting on the ground while she fixed her red hair under that helmet.

"I'll race you there." He challenged her.

"Wait What?" She didn't have time to ask more, their light had turned green and apparently that was the unspoken signal for them to go. Claire was still getting used to the bike, so she needed a moment to gain the impulse to start pedaling again.

Owen had a few seconds advantage ahead of her now, but if he had learned something on the subway was not to underestimate that beautiful redhead.

Claire was very competitive so it wasn't that easy to beat her. She pedaled that bike the fastest she could, her legs feeling the unusual and extra effort she was putting on them. She was glad for the helmet she was wearing because for one, it kept her long hair from flying all over her face, and two, she felt like at any given moment she could fly over the handlebar and land on the floor, either head or butt first.

Exactly three blocks down she turned to her left, following the directions he had given. It was on that curve where she got him and passed him by. Now she just had to keep her distance opened from him straight on that street until reaching the park at the end.

She was close to the sidewalk, not wanting to get in the way of any vehicle driving by or people walking close by. There was a moment in their bike race when they kept fighting to stay ahead of the other.

She was laughing, he could hear her which said a lot about that charming laugh of hers. How livid it was, it made his heart feel like it could fly.

At the last second, she managed to get an inch ahead of him and beat him to the park. She stopped by the sidewalk and placed her hand on her stomach, trying to take some much needed air.

Both of them were panting, resting their arms on their respective handlebar trying to catch their breath. They could feel their hearts threatening to beat themselves out of their chests.

"So—" She sighed gasping for some air, "Do you get beaten by a girl twice in a morning everyday, or that's just today?" Claire teased him, watching him step off his bike and securing it with the side stand.

"Don't get used to it, babe. This doesn't happen thrice in a day." He chuckled, walking over and reaching out to take that helmet off her.

"Hmm..." She pursed her lips, fixing her eyes on his while he took the helmet off.

She could do it herself, but she was liking having him this close and she was also a fan of how he brushed his fingers through her hair, fixing it to his liking after the helmet had messed it up a bit.

She needed a moment before stepping off the bike too, Claire felt like her legs were shaking and she'd fall if she tried to move.

Owen was an opportunist when it came to taking advantage of some moments, get to show some affection here and there. He let his fingers brush her bangs which he found adorable, specially because it made her look up and blush.

He leaned close, resting against her leg, his hands were now taking the liberty to braid her hair. He had divided it in two and made one on each half, his fingers playing with the ends of her hair and resting one braid on each shoulder.

He didn't bother to restrain his thoughts from being voiced out, "you are perfect~"

* * *

They had found an empty wooden double swing in the playground. Claire and Owen sitting each on one. Owen had gotten a rainforest volcano cake for them to share. They sold them across the street.

The volcano was made of brownie filled with vanilla ice cream and a ball of it on top, chocolate syrup spread all over. He had gotten little dinosaur-shaped gummies to decorate their explosive snack.

He had the container on his lap, both their swings twirled to the side so they could face each other.

Claire opened her mouth so he could feed her a spoon of the vanilla ice-cream. She chuckled while waiting for him to take the spoon to her lips.

He smiled watching her close her mouth taking the bite and nibbling on her lips. He had been wanting to kiss them since that night he saw her asleep on the subway, but he knew patience would eventually reward him — at least he hoped it would be that way.

The redhead took the spoon from him and leaning close, she dug some ice-cream from the volcano's crater and drove it up to his lips. She laughed lightly watching him take it and leaving some on the side of his lip. "Come here." She motioned for him to lean closer.

He did as told and could feel his heart beating loud at the touch of her index finger wiping the corner of his lips. He almost dropped their dessert at the view of her gently sucking her finger after it had cleaned ice-cream from him.

"Careful with our dinosaurs." She teased watching his reflexes save their brownie volcano from falling.

"I think Mount Sibo just exploded all over them." He wrinkled his nose apologetically, his eyes down noticing how the ice-cream ball had fallen down over the gummies.

"Don't tease." She played along with a soft pout, "I'll make you go there with me and save them." She laughed.

"Maybe we can." He smiled and broke a piece of the foam container's lid. He set it by the brownie and started pulling all the dinosaur gummies out of the melted ice-cream.

"You are so silly." She rolled her eyes playfully but that didn't stop her from pulling her swing closer and helping him. "Where did you get Mount Sibo?" She wondered about the name.

He shrugged, "is being this silly a good or a bad thing?" He wondered with a curious smile.

"It's a very good thing." She slowly brought her eyes up to meet his, pinching a little blue gummy raptor with her finger out of the ice-cream.

She slowly fed it to him, Owen not only taking it but also finding the way to kiss her cold finger pads. His hands reached out to keep hers captive in his, both of them forgetting there was a world out there turning.

In that moment, it was just the the two of them lost in each other's eyes.


	5. Chapter 5

Owen was laughing so hard that he was bending over and resting his hands on his knees. Claire was looking at him not amused at all, was he for real...laughing at her...like that? He couldn't even try be supportive and understand where she was coming from? After all, she was doing this for him. She was terrified to say the least, not that she didn't trust him. It's just that for what she'd seen, it looked dangerous.

"Why do you have to be so extra about these things?" He managed to wonder throughout his laughter.

"What?" She raised her arms which were not even visible under those elbow and wrist pads she was wearing.

He couldn't even see her eyes or those adorable bangs with that thick helmet she had on her head. The braids he had fixed in her hair were poking out and resting over her shoulders. "It's just—" He wanted to say 'too much'; she wasn't falling from a ten story building, after all. He wouldn't let her fall all together, either.

"Just what?" She rested her hands on her hips. She was also wearing long knee pads.

"You look adorable." Owen gave up, and just let her be. She truly did look cute, it was clear she had never done this before but he liked the confidence she radiated and how determined she was to step on that skateboard and master it.

Many of the guys at the skatepark were amusingly observing them. They were interested to see how that redhead who seemed to have been swallowed by the gear would survive her first skating lesson.

Owen wasn't going to push her and demand for her to do a tre flip the moment she set her left foot on the skateboard either. He knew this would take some patience.

She had mentioned how skateboarding used to be a very popular thing back in the day and she had always been curious about standing on one, ride it for a little while, and just know how it felt. So here he was, taking advantage of the little skatepark that had triggered that conversation.

They had seen a group of teens riding their skateboard through the park, passing them by while they finished their Mt. Sibo dessert. Claire had asked for them to follow, and so they did. They all were heading to the back where a very open area had a place for them all to ride their boards, skates, and even bikes.

Owen was not a skate expert, but just like any kid in the nineties, he had rode one around for a while. He wasn't looking to impress the freckled beauty by riding through the bump track, but instead wanted her to experience that little bit of adrenaline she said she couldn't back then. They both had rented a skateboard each and some gear for her.

He slowly helped her bent her knees to the right angle once she was standing on the skateboard and had her practice how to step off and on of it a few times until she felt comfortable doing so.

Claire giggled while doing this, the first few times feeling how the skateboard would start rolling which made her a little nervous. He was next to her doing the same exercise and just holding tight onto her every time Claire would reach out and grasp his shoulder.

Once she had that down, they decided she was ready to push the skateboard around for a little while. Once again, he helped her bent her front foot knee to the right angle and once she was ready, he walked by her side while she started to push with her back foot.

"Owen~!" She called out a little nervous once he asked her to step on the skateboard with both feet.

At first she struggled with the balance, feeling the board moving sideways but she was a fast learner and soon she was pushing herself around and stepping on the skateboard with both feet on her own.

"I think you are ready for the slide." He smiled.

"What!? No...no...no...no." She shook her head.

"Yes...yes...yes...yes." He insisted and taking her hand he guided her over to a short one.

He helped her set the skateboard on it so she could just step on and slowly let it slide. Claire held tight from him, even when the slide was only a few feet long. He had his foot keeping the skateboard from moving and once she said she was ready, he pulled his foot away and let her slide while staying close in case she lost her balance.

She laughed loving the feeling and asked for him to take her to the largest one. Was she still scare? Absolutely! But even if she had only known Owen for a few hours, she could tell he wouldn't let her do something that would hurt her.

She slowly climbed to the top and placed her skateboard the way Owen had taught her. She sighed and closed her eyes trying to calm her nervousness. The teens who had been occasionally observing them were now gathered around the slide, ready to see this young lady school them.

They all had their phones ready to record this; the outcome would be either hilarious since she would fall on her ass or Claire just showing off what kind of badass she was.

The teens around started to cheer as she steadily slid down, keeping perfect balance throughout. Owen was waiting for her at the end of the slide, a huge grin on his face proud of his girl.

Once she made it all the way down, she stepped off the skateboard and ran towards him. She threw herself into his arms and hugged his neck excitedly.

"Did you see that?!" She couldn't believe what she'd done. It wasn't a tough stunt by any means, but for her or any first-timer it was a big deal.

"I did!" He nodded caressing her shoulders lightly.

"Yo, that was legit!" The teens all agreed.

Claire was panting and she could feel her legs shaking. She slowly got out of all the gear. She was done with the skateboard, that adrenaline rush was enough for a week.

* * *

They were now just walking along, holding hands. Owen couldn't help smile to himself when he felt her lacing their fingers together. She looked up and smiled sweetly at him, nibbling on her lip.

Anyone who saw them walking would assure that they were a cute couple and he knew how to keep her happy. That last part was true, and she'd be the first one to assure you. Claire hadn't been able to feel this alive in so long, but he was allowing her to taste and feel every second they spent together.

It was nice too feel the fresh air blowing against her face and the peacefulness of walking down a path of green grass and colorful flowers. There were some picnic tables around. It seemed that's the place where the cool elders hung, many of the tables occupied by groups of elderly playing board games.

Owen looked around to make sure no one was looking. He picked a hot pink carnation flower and pinned it behind her ear. The color had this perfect contrast with her green eyes and red hair.

Claire smiled and squealing lightly at the little detail, she hugged his arm and nosed into his shoulder. She almost gave it a soft nibble but something stopped her.

Four old folks were screaming at each other at a picnic table just a few steps away from them, three men and a woman. They were playing Clue and were calling out on cheating between each other.

"Hey, you look like a smart young lady." One of the elder men called out for Claire whom they had noticed had her full attention on their fight.

"Would you help us figure out if Martha here is cheating?" They requested. The elder woman had been making sure she paid close attention to where her friends would mark when given a clue; if at the top, center, or bottom of their little spread sheet.

"Don't, we will never leave." Owen begged her, but then again they were asking her something that was right down her ally.

"It's just going to be two minutes." She promised before letting go of his arm and walking to the table.

"She's going to have you read the whole manual." Owen called out, warning them in an attempt to have them change their mind.

Claire threw him a look and went back to the group of elders, "Do you have the rulebook?" She grinned.

The redhead had not only cleared the old lady from being a sneaky smart ass but both Owen and Claire had ended up sitting at that table playing a round of Clue with the elders.

She had never played before, but since she had just stood there for ten minutes reading through the guideline she knew pretty much what she was doing and the other five didn't have a loop to cheat; not under her supervision.

"Your boyfriend is very handsome." Martha murmured closer to Claire. The old lady was sitting between them.

Claire blushed and looked down at her cards. "He—he is not my boyfriend."

The old lady looked to her other side and squeezed Owen's bicep before grinning at how strong he was, "Girl if you don't want him, I'll take him home with me." She slowly hugged Owen's arm before taking her turn.

Claire chuckled and managed to make eye contact with Owen while Martha rolled the dice, "I never said I didn't~" the redhead offered, nibbling on her lower lip while letting her green eyes flirt with Owen.

Hearing her say that made Owen's heart beat fast. He was glad to see Claire was enjoying herself around him and most importantly that she seemed to like him back.

He did have fallen in love the moment he first lied eyes on her, but now that he had been sharing with her and talking to her, he knew he had been right all along and he had met his one true love.


	6. Chapter 6

" _Run—-_!"

It hadn't taken Claire long to get into the moment. At first, she thought Owen was really pushing it when he had insisted they should totally go for it. It wasn't that the redhead didn't like children, because she did. She had two nephews and when the eldest was a toddler, she used to play with him all the time.

But this? This was outrageous and yet she was having the time of her life.

Since her stunt with the skateboard, Claire and Owen had become two faces the kids at the park recognized. It wasn't every day that they witnessed two adults just having fun without a care in the world. Every single of these kids thought it was cool and that's why they had asked them to come join them and play with them.

The kids had their own kickball court chalked down on the pavement. They used one half of the many basketball courts at the park. Most of the kids playing were around the ages of nine and eleven. They all gathered there after school and played until the sun went down.

Today, they only had a couple of hours, this particular group was in the school play and were out there between classes and their last rehearsal before opening night; they were doing Peter Pan.

They had teamed up girls versus boys; the redhead's team was kicking first and Owen's was pitching.

"May the strongest team win." Owen winked before calling out for his eight boys to gather up and come with an strategy to kick some butt.

"I've kicked your ass twice today, and I'm about to do it again." She smiled. "So yes, the strongest is about to win." She challenged him before gathering her eight girls and start planning a way to make the boys eat some dirt — literally.

Claire had never been into sports, and if someone, anyone, would have approached her that morning telling her she'd come off the subway with a stranger and do all these things... she'd have said they were crazy and probably call the police. But here she was, shouting and cheering for the one girl who had been the first to kick and celebrating with the rest of her team that she had made it safe to first base.

Owen was between second and third base, completely distracted with the redhead across the court, in line waiting for her turn. He had never been the kind to think about having kids, hell... he had never been the type of man to want a serious girlfriend, but just like he knew (after one look) that Claire was the one he wanted to spend the rest of his life with, right now he was picturing a life with a wife and kids, playing at the park every Sunday afternoon. In that image, he was happy and had everything he could ask for. Yes, the redhead was the wife and those sixteen kids their children. He was _crazy_ in love.

If he were to google what lovestruck meant, urban dictionary would give a definition of himself at this very moment. A search on imagines would have a collection of all the times he had found himself staring at her and smiling to himself.

Green eyes eventually fell on him and they exchanged a smile that would be engraved in his mind for the rest of his life. He was starting to wonder what kind of fool he was, he probably only had one day with her and instead of spending it sitting in a coffee shop or a bar talking, he was out there playing ball with a bunch of kids.

He nodded lightly once he watched her bit on her lower lip, he was definitely the smartest kind of fool; conversations she would have plenty in her life time, men buying her a drink? She probably had lost count of it. But a day outside riding a skateboard and playing kickball? That was one in a life time experience and one that had just assured him to become an everlasting memory in her.

"Run! Run! Run!" The redhead broke eye contact once the second player had managed to kick the ball and fill first and second base.

These girls could kick, and it made Claire a little nervous. They wanted her to go fourth and bring them all Home. She had never kicked a ball before, how did they expect her to hit it so hard it will give them time to go around and score four runs?

"You can do anything!" They insisted, begging her. They all had seen the video of her on the skateboard.

In a way, she truly was doing everything; everything she thought she would never do and the day wasn't over yet. It was like that quote about doing six impossible things before breakfast.

She thought about this while the third girl took her turn. These kids were fast, both girls and boys alike. It was evident they spent all their afternoons playing this. It was refreshing, to see that some kids out there still enjoyed fun without technology.

Claire was waiting for her turn, she had listed all the impossible things she had done so far; starting with missing work for the day and not even bother to let them know. She had done this when she got off the subway with Owen and rode a bike across town. She had brownie and ice-cream for breakfast and also rode a skateboard. She was now playing ball with some kids in the middle of the day, while wearing the most goofy looking shoes.

It didn't happen before breakfast, but would hitting a home run be her seventh impossible thing of the day, after all.. why stop at six?

The girls had made a great job filling her in on the rules of the game. It seemed to be very basic and simple. All Claire had to do was kick that rubber ball as far as she could and start running along the chalk lines they had drawn around the court. That and prevent to have someone from the other team touch her with the ball. They had gotten overhyped and were explaining to her how to steal base, but she asked them to keep that for the next round.

The three kinds that had gone before her made this look easy, but it wasn't until she saw how fast and strong that kid across from her roll that ball over when she noticed how hard this actually was.

She was standing behind the chalked home base, the girls had explained how the ball had to make it through the space around her or not to kick it.

Claire looked up and her eyes found Owen, he narrowed his and kept a serious face, he was ready to either tag her out or catch that ball in the air and take her back to the bench.

The first pitch had missed the strike chalked area by almost nothing and she had successfully avoided trying to kick that, not because she knew it would be taken as a ball but because it came so fast and rolling tight on the floor that she didn't even have time to react.

There was no way she would be able to kick that rubber ball. She watched Owen get closer and ready for her kick. She narrowed her eyes, was he mocking her? Did he really think she couldn't do this? She shook her head at him.

The pitcher rolled that ball as fast as he could, the ball not bouncing once, tightly against the pavement on its way to Claire's right foot. It was impossible for her to miss this one. She kicked the hardest she could, the ball rolling its way along the field while her shoe flew out of her foot.

Every single boy was watching that shoe go through the air, no one paying attention to the ball as it kept rolling far. It was the perfect opportunity to steal all those bases, but even the girls had their eyes glued to that shoe. It truly felt like the shoe was flying in slow motion for all of them.

"Run—-!" Claire shouted bringing her girls out of the moment as they all started to steal all those bases. The boys followed as two of them ran out to get the ball.

Owen had been the one catching the shoe in the air and brining it over to her. She rested against his shoulder while she put it back on, and planted a gentle kiss on his cheek before she ran off to take that fourth run ahead from the other team.

* * *

Being on the pitching side wasn't as hard. Their pitcher had a great arm and was as good as the boy who had made Claire lose her shoe. Those had been the only four runs the girls had managed to score before being punched out, which was okay. Now it was just a matter of keeping the boys from scoring as many. Claire had taken Owen's position and stayed between second and third.

She had found out to have great reflexes which helped her catch the balls the girls were throwing her way to tag them in case any of the boy dared steal a base from her.

Unlike Claire, the boys had left Owen for last. Each team had their own strategy it seemed. They were two outs and three runs in, all he had to do was send that ball flying across the park and clear the kid in third base as well as closing his to be one run ahead of the girls.

Owen looked over to the redhead, those braids looked perfect over her shoulders while she had one of the kid's baseball cap on her head. The sun was bright over them and she was keeping her freckled face from burning. She had the sunscreen department already covered, she always carried some in her purse.

The girl pitched the ball, fast and just like the boy keeping it from bouncing. Owen hit it with the inside of his foot, making it fly across the court. The girl on the far left unable to catch it to out him, but she did stop it and grabbed it after the bounce.

Owen ran to first base and the kid on third made it safety to home; they were now tied. The grown man then stole second while the girls thew the ball closer. Claire ran and stood in his way, between second and third, ready to tag him out once the ball made it to her arms.

She hugged the rubber ball against her chest, Owen half way into stealing her base. He laughed watching her turning her head to the side, her arms reaching out with the ball. He slapped it away from her with a chuckle and pulled her up in his arms.

Claire was screaming and laughing while he ran the rest of the way with that beautiful redhead in his arms. She held tight, her arms around his neck and her legs tightly wrapped around his waist. Owen was on his way to home with a grin in his face.

The kids started cheering, his run had put them ahead for one. The redhead was smiling in his arms, she didn't realize how her extremities were tightly wrapped around him, straddling him, until all the kids started to tease them about.

Claire was red and Owen was still trying to catch his breath after running around the court. He slowly let go of her and caressed her chin lightly with his thumb before winking at her.

* * *

"How does it feel to be taken down by a group of girls?" Claire smiled in victory, both her hands keeping their fingers laced while she walked backwards, facing him.

Owen laughed and shook his head. "Don't get used to it, it doesn't happen every day." He smiled before leaning close almost tempted to steal a peck from her but something stopped him. Instead, he brought one of their hands to his lips and pressed a soft kiss on the back of hers.

"Should I get used to this?" She flirted, curving her body gently against his frame while her eyes sparkled fixed on his.

He sighed contently at her question and slowly let go of her hands so he could wrap his arms around her waist and pull her closer to him, "I want to make each day unique for you~for the rest of your life." He admitted.

Claire offered a soft smile and tilted her head, her hands resting on his shoulders.

"How do I go about doing that?" He asked, almost begging her to allow him the opportunity.

She bit on her lower lip, allowing her fingers to play with the little hairs in his nape, "how about we go through today first and we do this one day at a time?" The redhead suggested with a murmur before taking his hand in hers so they could start walking back to the bike dock.

"Bye!" The kids waves as they started to get ready to go back to their school, all of them unlocking their own bikes.

"Bye~" Both adults waved back simultaneously.

"See you tonight!" A couple of them called out before pedaling their way down the street. After their match, they had invited both to their opening night. The play was at seven at their school's auditorium. They had to get their tickets upon arrival, but they promised to make it.

* * *

"You want to kill me!" The redhead screamed while her fingers held tightly around the handlebar, where she was sitting.

Owen had convinced her to ride on the handlebar of his bike instead of them taking two separate ones. There was a quiet neighborhood behind the park, so there was no traffic and they had the whole street for themselves. It was completely safe, after all Owen would never do something that would get her hurt or in danger.

Owen stopped at this one house hosting a garage sale. Once on the sidewalk, he waited for her to hop down before he let the bike on the ground. He took her hand and they both made their way into the yard.

The couple smiled at the woman of the house and were quiet for a moment while scanning the different things they had around. They started to search through this family's crap.

"How much cash do you have with you?" Owen wondered."

Claire smiled and tilted her head, "I don't know..." She wondered if she should go into her purse and check.

"Want to invest ten bucks? We can't spend more than that." He explained the rules. "We go around and we get each other something to remember this day by." He smiled.

Claire nodded, liking the idea. "Okay, meet you here in half an hour?" She proposed for them to do it without the other, so it would be a surprise.

"Okay." He chuckled.

Claire leaned over and kissed his cheek softly before slowly letting go of his hand. They knew enough about each other to try find something that could be meaningful. They had had time to talk to each other and learn interesting things about the other not only on the subway, but while they shared Mt. Sibo and lunch earlier after their kickball game.

The redhead started looking for things on the opposite direction to him. This family had all sorts of crap, stuff she would have thought were worthless if she weren't paying close attention to them all. There were all sorts of toys, books, cds, and even some knick knacks. She also found a box with old sports gear around.

Owen had gotten lost by the rack of clothing on the other side of the yard. There were all sorts of dresses and hats in that area, even used shoes which he found disgusting. Who would want to use someone else's old stinky shoes?

Claire had been the first one to pay for the stuff she had gotten and went back to their spot to wait for him, after a few minutes Owen met her there.

"You first!" He called out, both of them had their new used stuff in a plastic bag.

"Okay." She agreed. Claire reached into her bag and brought out an old Hit Clip mini music player which was a discontinued toy line from the early 00s. Back then, you could get different singles on clips and you could listen to them on it.

She smiled not really believing she had found this. It still had the original headphones, too. She gently set them on him and pressed play. The song 'I Knew I Loved You' by Savage Garden started playing.

"Jeez." He made a face at the bubble gum pop rhythm of the song, but he knew the meaning it had for them since she had confessed to be obsessed with that trashy pop due when she was a teenager.

"It was only five dollars, so in case you get in the mood... I got you a couple more of clips!" She laughed and handed him one for Britney's 'Oops...I Did It Again', one for *Nsync's 'Bye Bye Bye' and one for Madonna's 'Music'.

"I love it!" The man in the Van Halen t-shirt grinned.

"And since I still had two dollars, I got you this hat!" She pulled out a straw summer hat with a chiffon bow out of her plastic bag and gently set it on his head. "Handsome!" She grinned lovingly.

He couldn't help smile back at her before putting his hit clip back in the bag so he could show her what he got for her.

He opened his plastic bag and got a green stuffed baby stegosaur out of it, "I'm sorry we couldn't save our gummy dinos from getting eaten." He teased about how they had had them, "but this one is a rescued and I'm sure you'll give him the best home". He handed it over to Claire.

"Her~" She corrected him before hugging her new plush toy. "They are all female." She insisted.

"Right~" He smiled before taken a couple steps closer and standing next to her, "and, look what I found!" He was excited to show her the other thing.

Claire's eyes grew curious.

He smiled and pulled a copy of this book for kids named 'Thumb Wars: The Ultimate Guide' out of the bag. "Maybe I don't have a guide to the game with me at all times, but now you will." He explained while opening it to to a particular page, "in case strangers on subways want to play you and cheat!"

"Unbelievable!" She laughed not believing there was actually a guide to that.

"And look, the _sneak_ _attack_ _tactic_ is an actual thing! Crazy, huh?"


	7. Chapter 7

It was that moment of the day when the sky started to turn orange and some parts were even purple, that hour of the afternoon that many believed to be the most romantic one. Maybe it was, but for Owen it was only a reminder that he was running out of time, the sun would set down soon and with that, darkness would fall upon them. He knew Claire had agreed to go to those kids' musical, but what would happen after that?

It had felt like the sun light was what kept him going, enjoying every second of the clear sky like there was no tomorrow, and with the sun his hopes were starting to fade behind the horizon.

He couldn't help smile at the beautiful lady who had her fingers intertwined with his. He could feel her free hand tightly gripping his bicep while she kept taking steps through the rocky path they were walking.

They were on their way to the musical, the kids' school behind the hill they were hiking. She laughed after taking a misstep and clawed her fingers in his shirt, trying to avoid slide down and fall on her butt.

Owen held tight from her and took a second to just hold her against his frame. He let his hand rest on the small of her back, releasing hers so he could help her up the tricky little path.

He had convinced her to go through the hill instead of around it, made a fun experience out of it. They wouldn't be the first or the last to embark in the journey, it looked like a very popular area for locals to take a walk or even go about in their bikes.

They had been walking along that hill for twenty minutes when they reached a rest spot. Claire sat on the concrete bench near by, admiring the view of the city below them. She looked up at the sky, she knew they didn't have much time before it got dark.

Owen quietly sat next to her and tilted his head trying to find her eyes. He had so many things he wanted to say, that he wanted to ask. His heart was starting to ache at the reality that she would soon ask to be walked back to the subway station and they would have to part. He needed to know how she felt, tell her he had fallen in love with her.

"I'm exhausting you." He chuckled watching her try gain some strength to keep walking and catch her breath. They had been engaging in so much physical activities, the redhead had no idea how she was still going.

"It's fine." She giggled nervously, her green eyes gently finding his, "I would do it all over again, even if I'll be sore tomorrow and probably for a week." She nibbled on her lower lip.

Owen's hazel eyes lighten up at that confession, he reached out and fixed some of her messy hair, her braids almost undone by then. He smiled and took the impulse to start loosing her hair and brush it with his fingers. The soft feeling of it through them sent shocks of electricity up to his heart, making it start beating faster. He could spend an eternity playing with her red locks.

Claire smiled softly and shifting closer, she rested her head against his shoulder and closed her eyes; the way his fingers felt in her hair injecting this peacefulness into her. She nosed into his neck, letting her arms wrapped around his waist.

Owen smiled and couldn't stop himself from pressing his lips against her forehead, the redhead slowly looked up and let her green eyes fall on his lips. Claire gulped softly, letting one arm pulled away and caress his cheek gently.

"Do—do you want to dance?" He asked a little nervous. All he wanted was an excuse to hold her close to him, have her in his arms and take in her scent.

She chuckled lightly, she looked around, "there's no music." She blushed, but still gently stood up and reached out for him to take her hand and lead her.

Owen smiled and taking her hand on his, he brought it to his lips and press a soft kiss on it before standing up and wrapping his other arm around her waist. He brushed her cheek with his fingers and pulled her lightly so her body could be pressed against his.

Claire blushed, once again lacing their fingers together while her other hand rested around his shoulder.

"Wait..." He curved an eyebrow, making her green eyes watch him with curiosity. He let go of her hand and reached into the front pocket of his jeans.

Claire laughed at the sight of the Hit Clip, "I thought you hated that song." She teased him, taking one of the earbuds to set it on her ear. She took the other one and set it on his opposite one.

"I never said that." He said softly, "but it's true." He chuckled before pressing play on his mini player and clipping it to his collar. The slow melody started playing and his fingers once again laced with hers.

Claire smiled softly and slowly let her feet follow his pace, her head resting against him. The redhead gently nuzzled into the crook of his neck, closing her eyes feeling the embrace of his arms keeping her warm while the temperature stared to drop and wind blow through the trees behind them.

Owen gently bent her backwards, making her giggle once the earbud had come off her ear. He pulled her back up and twirled her around before setting the earbud back on her, her fingers reaching out for his.

She gently pushed him closer, her arm around the back of his neck, feeling his lips brushing against her other ear, "I think I dreamt you into life..." He hummed part of the lyrics to her. The redhead smiled, closing her eyes. She felt her heartbeat peeking slightly, her fingers now brushing through his hair on the back of his head.

They kept the same slow tender pace through the song, and didn't stop once it was over. Claire had kept her eyes closed while they just danced to the rhythm in their heads, no need for music when both their hearts were synchronized.

"What's that?" She murmured, breaking the silence once she opened her eyes. There was a brown large animal behind Owen, one they hadn't noticed. He didn't let go of her, just turned his head back to have a look.

It was a chocolate Labrador wearing a sparkly red tag. He had been sitting behind them, watching them dance. He tilted his head to the side, witnessing how the couple had pulled back and Claire had gone fetch her blazer from the bench.

"We should get going, before it starts getting dark." Owen suggested, putting his mini player back into the front pocket of his jeans and gathering all their things. He had been the one carrying the shoebox with her heels, purse, and blazer.

The redhead nodded and reaching out for his hand, resumed their walking. The dog quietly started to follow them.

Owen kept guiding them towards the rocky path, helping her out when she reached out for assistance. The dog walked past them and nudged Owen with his snout before taking on a parallel path that was just starting next to theirs. He sat down a few feet away from the couple and wagged his tail.

"I think he wants us to follow him." Owen suggested and waited to see if Claire was up for it. The path the dog was choosing did seem to be an easier one, the redhead nodded and stepping to the side let Owen go first.

"Hey buddy." The man greeted the dog whom stood back up on his four legs and resumed his walking now that the couple was behind him. The Labrador kept wagging his tail and from time to time would look behind to make sure Owen and Claire were still following.

He was taking them through the trees, the path still plain and not as rocky as the one around the mountain. It was getting darker and the trees were growing thicker.

"I think he's lost." Claire groaned a little desperate. Regardless of how Owen had proven himself throughout the day, she really didn't want the night to find her in the middle of that hill.

Owen looked down at her and let go of her hand. He got closer to the dog and rubbed behind his ears before taking a look on his tag — a very unusual one at that; 'Hello, my name is Aristotle. I like making new friends and walk with them through the hill.' Owen then turned the tag to read the back of it, 'I'm not lost. I know how to get home on my own.' Owen curved an eyebrow and patted the dog, "I think he knows this place better than anyone." He finally called out. "His name is Aristotle."

Claire slowly walked through the dusty path, meeting Owen and their new friend Aristotle before the dog would resume their way through the trees. It took him about twenty minutes to take the couple to the other side of the mountain. They had to admit the dog had saved them some time by leading them through the thick trees.

He barked at them and started to walk back, turning to his left. "C'mon, lets go." Claire pulled from Owen's sleeve wanting to go to the right, follow the path.

"He knows what he's doing." Owen tried to convinced her. "Five minutes, if he is just walking around then we come back." He promised.

Claire whimpered not sure about this, she didn't find any logic behind going back from where they had come from, "please, babe?" He begged, taking both her hands in his and pressing them against his lips.

The redhead nodded, the dog still sitting there waiting for them. He did that every time they stopped, never leaving them behind. Aristotle didn't need more than five minutes to prove himself to the redhead; he did know what he was doing. Except...not in a way the woman would approve of.

"No." She shook her head.

"It's the fastest way down." Owen laughed. Aristotle sat back down, he wouldn't leave until made sure they had made it down safely. He liked running along the zipline while kids slid down the hill to the park below.

"I've done many things today." She kept shaking her head, almost begging him. Claire rested her hands on his shoulders and shook him lightly, "and I would do almost anything with you, except this." She frowned biting on her lip. She was scared of heights, but she was not going to admit it if she didn't have to.

"Think about something you've been wanting to do today, lets make it happen the moment we are both down!" He promised, trying to find a way to make her see they will be alright. Claire pursed her lips and blushed, "Do you trust me?" He wondered, holding the pulley close by. It was a short slide, about 32 feet long, very intended for kids to play in it rather than the professional ones found in touristic jungles.

Claire sighed and nodded, not believing she was agreeing to this. "Do you want to go first or last?" Owen wondered.

"First!" She immediately requested, "no, last... last. I'll go after you." She nodded.

"I see you, Freckles." He laughed and shook his head, she wanted him to go first in case the cable broke or he got stuck.

She giggled and shrugged, "we will meet down there though, so there's nothing to worry about right?" She reminded him condescendingly.

Owen nodded, "kiss for good luck?" He tapped his cheek and Claire gently kissed it, her fingers holding tight from the sides of his shirt.

Owen adjusted and looked down to Aristotle who was wagging his tail beside him. The man pulled his legs up and held tight from the pulley, the dog jumped and ran down the cliff along with him. Claire watching them from the top and resting her hand on her chest once she saw them reaching the ground.

She had now witness that it was just a matter of a minute or so what it took to get down to the other side of the hill. She was still a nervous wreck, it was up to her to hang from that pulley tight and make it in one piece. She took a deep breath and grabbed tight, she fixed her eyes on Owen who was waiting for her down there. She pulled her legs up and closing her eyes, she started to scream until she made it all the way down.

She didn't open her eyes until her shoes announced she was safe. She smiled towards Owen and bit her lower lip. He had the proudest look in his face, he had been able to tell this had been something hard for the redhead to overcome. Claire let go of the pulley and threw herself into his arms. He hugged her, pushing her hair back from her face and fixing it behind her ears. The redhead pressed her lips against his, without any previous warning that she was about to kiss him.

Owen immediately kissed her back, his arms wrapping around her waist while she pressed her body against his, her fingers brushing around his neck keeping their lips connected for a couple of seconds.

Now that he had finally tasted her lips, Owen knew he wouldn't be able to live without the softness of her kisses. He wanted the moment to last for the rest of his life. He felt Claire slowly pulling back, but he didn't let her. He tighten the grip around her waist, pressing her against his chest and leaning over, he let his lips catch hers again. This time he kissed her gently, letting his lips memorize the texture of hers.

* * *

Ready...Set...Go!

The vintage Sega Manx TT machine displayed on the screens before Owen and Claire could start riding their stationary bike and engage in an old school video game racing.

The couple had been playing around an arcade they had found on their way to the musical, they had at least an hour to kill before it started. So far they had played Pac-Man and Donkey Kong. Owen and Claire had gotten about five dollars in tokens and were looking for those old machines with video games they both were familiar with, Claire's knowledge keeping them in a vintage selection.

"Nooooo!" The redhead complained tilting her bike to the right away from Owen who had decided to mess with her inside the game. He was doing fairly well, while she was stuck trying to figure out how to ride her bike. Every racer had one lap ahead of her, he found her in the same spot on the track and passing her over once again, he pushed her out of the track, making her little guy fall over his bike.

It made Owen laugh, specially because he knew how competitive she was and for the first time in the day, she was losing.

Owen left her there, her little guy slowly getting back on his bike while the rest of automated riders and Owen kept racing through the track. He was already on the last lap, Claire riding her bike across the grass.

"What are you doing?" He laughed.

"Taking a short cut because you assholes couldn't stop and wait for me." She was aggravated.

Expect, of course, the game didn't allow that kind move and so the green field was endless. She ran out of time, every rider had crossed the finish line.

"C'mon, we have to get going." Owen got off his bike and offered his hand, interrupting a very disappointed Claire's silence. "You can have my medal..." He promised her, kissing her temple upon bringing his arm around her shoulder.

"What? You are gonna have that stupid machine spit you one?" She frowned but happily hugged his waist upon feeling his embrace.

Owen shook his head and walked to the booth to get their stuff back and buy her one of those chocolate medals. He presented it to her, the redhead couldn't keep herself from kissing him upon taking it. "I love this." She held it against her chest, "I'm never eating it." She promised.

He smiled and taking her hand, they walked out of the Arcadia and headed towards the school four blocks away from there.

"YOU CAME!" Wendy and Tinker bell called out upon recognizing the couple who were trying to find their way to the auditorium through the halls.

Both adults smiled and tilted back at the sight of all sixteen kids in costumes running towards them and giving them a massive group hug.

"We saved you a seat!" The kids dressed as The Twins announced taking each of Owen and Claire's hands respectively and guiding them through the hall, into the auditorium, and over to their front row seats.

The redhead and Owen thanked them and waited seated for the musical to start. Claire bit on her lower lip and crossed her legs before letting her knee brush along his.

She looked around, the place slowly getting packed with whom she figured were other students and family. Her eyes then fell on Owen who was reading the program, going through the list of characters to learn who their friends would be playing. The lights slowly went down, leaving the room completely dark. The musical was about to start.

He slowly turned look up at Claire after feeling her tap his shoulder, his eyes immediately shut down letting her take advantage of the black out. He gently kissed her lips back. The redhead brushed her fingers along his nape, letting the tip of her tongue slightly tease him before deepening the kiss for a few seconds.

The music to 'The Second Star to the Right' interrupting them.


	8. Chapter 8

Nothing but the sound of crickets was surrounding Owen and Claire while he held her close to him, he was gently swinging them from one side to the other. It was a clear night out there and the round moon was shining above them, its light dimming between the trees around them.

They had found a park with public hammocks and had agreed to take one and just enjoy the stars twinkling bright that night. Time went by fast in each other's company, that's how the fifteen hours they had spend together so far felt like minutes even when they had bonded them for a life time.

Owen's fingers were playing with that long red hair, his ears paying attention to nothing but the calm sound of her heart beating against his. She was cuddled against his chest, between his legs. A soft smile curving in her face at the feeling of his warm lips pressed against her forehead. This was everything he had ever wanted, this was the essence of every dream he had since seeing her for the first time.

He had heard many fairy tales, but he had never believed in true love let alone at first sight. Owen, for the first time in his life, was glad he had been proven wrong because with Claire in his arms he felt like he could do anything, he was positive he was flying at that very second. She adjusted softly, curling her toes against his feet. They had taken off their shoes and left them under their hammock with the rest of her things.

It was the sound of her giggle what made him smile bright, his fingers pushing her hair back, letting his lips kiss down from her forehead to her cheek until finding her lips. Their feet slowly tangling, her hand gently reaching out and brushing his jaw while they deepened the kiss.

Claire hid her naked feet under the ends of his jeans, her toes were cold making Owen realized she was trying to keep them warm. He slowly sat up, never letting her leave his embrace. The redhead tilted her head watching him take his socks off and slowly putting them on her feet.

They took that moment to adjust and now she was on her back with him looking down on her, "You are missing the stars." She murmured, smiling lightly while her fingers brushed his cheeks gently.

"Not the kind I like..." He murmured back, his finger pads tracing down the freckles she had across her nose.

Claire blushed and leaning forward, she let her hand slid around his neck, bringing him down for him to kiss her. Owen adjusted his frame on top of hers and let his lips tell her all those words he had been trying to find courage to speak.

He let the moment take the best of him, his hands slowly started to explore the frame under him, the temple to his religion. Claire smiled against his lips at the feeling of his warm fingers inching up her abdomen under her blouse, making him feel enabled to carry on.

The redhead gently broke the kiss and moaned softly in anticipation of feeling him reach what he was seeking underneath her top. Owen was taking his time, it made him feel like the longer it took, the most time he'd have her all for himself. His lips leaving gentle kisses around her neck and his legs adjusting while hers bent up welcoming him to get comfortable.

"I had my mind made up the moment I got out of the subway with you..." She confessed before closing her eyes and getting lost in the kisses he kept pressing against her freckled skin. "That I was going to sleep with you." She added with a gulp.

Owen immediately tilted his head up and fixed his eyes on hers, a shy but purposeful smile on his lips. He didn't say a word, this was truly her decision but now that he knew her little secret he allowed his lips to get carried away.

"But..." She frowned, her fingers brushing his hair and her nose nuzzling against the crook of his neck "now that we have gone through so much...I don't know anymore." She bit on the inside of her lip.

It was clear to her that he had been working her up not for a one nightstand but for a whole lifetime. "I mean, I really want to~I want you to make love to me, I do." She nodded softly, her lips nibbling on his chin before brushing against his, tasting the light disappointment he was feeling. "C'mon, babe...kiss me." She murmured, "I just think it would be more special if we wait, you see? Leave if for later for when we have proven that it's meant to be." She suggested.

Owen sighed and hid his head on her chest and shook his head. Haven't he been proven her that? They were soulmates and today was just a small symphony telling the beginning of a beautiful love melody, one he wanted to compose by her side. He couldn't blame her, though. That afternoon she had asked him to take things one day at a time, he was determined to make it crystal clear that they belong together.

He did as she asked and softly kissed her, "can you see yourself spending the rest of your life with me?" He wondered, adjusting on his side and bringing her closer, spooning her and holding her tight.

She smiled and nodded softly, his lips peppering the side of her neck making her giggle, his fingers slowly intertwining with hers while their hands rested against her belly.

"Would you find certain things about me irritating? Like how I'm a little stubborn and like provoking you~get you mad for no reason because I like the way your nose wrinkles and your eyes look at me so intensely." He chuckled.

"Today has been you trolling and nothing else, hasn't it?" She chuckled shaking her head. Claire looked over her shoulder and kissed him softly.

"Maybe~" He laughed gently.

The redhead shook her head and pulled his arms closer, wanting for them to tight their grip around her. Claire sighed and bringing his hand up, she kissed it softly. "Today has been the best day of my life." She assured him.

Owen smiled happily and kissed her temple, "because of me?" He grinned.

"No...because of that great deal you got for those ugly shoes you made me use throughout." She teased him, slowly turning around and lying against him. She rested her chin on his chest and offered a bright grin.

"Do you believe in soulmates?" He wondered, brushing his fingers along her hair and tucking it behind her ears.

"You mean what is shown in cheap romantic movies where two people find each other and spend a lifetime without disagreements?" She shook her head lightly, "no, I don't."

"I mean a person with whom you have a very mutual understanding. That person with whom the moment you met it feels like you've known each other since ever, talk about almost everything without any fear of being misunderstood or ridiculed."

Claire smiled softly and nodded her head, "why don't you say it? If there's no fear of being misunderstood or ridiculed?" She murmured, her eyes sparkling in the dark.

Owen smiled and pecked her lips gently, pulling her closer to him and keeping her warm around his strong arms, "I chose to show you." He kissed her forehead and felt her rest her head against his shoulder.

"With more than a conversation." She smiled, referring to his pick-up line.

* * *

The next morning, Claire slowly opened her eyes, and moaned nosing into his neck happy in his embrace. She had no idea what time it was but she knew she had to head home if she wanted to take a shower and change so she could be at work on time.

Owen whimpered complaining when he felt her moving around that hammock, his heart breaking in a million pieces when his ears took in the words he had been dreading to hear for the past twenty-four hours; "I need to get to the subway station, if I want to make it to work on time." The redhead explained, trying to release his trembling arms from around her waist.

"Have breakfast with me?" He asked begging to have just a little more time with her, "then I'll take you to the subway station, I promise."

Claire had managed to hop off, he noticed his socks on the hammock the moment he eyed her putting her heels on instead of the shoes she had been wearing the previous day. The redhead fetched for her iPhone and turned it on, the cellphone immediately shooting countless notifications of emails and text messages from work. She checked the time it was six in the morning, she had no time to go back and forth but she figured making it late would be better than being a no show no call for a second day in a row.

Owen watched her with a frown and a shattered dream displaying in his hazel eyes while she fixed her skirt and her blouse, "would you come with me? Have one last walk before I head back home?" She smiled his way, her hands gently reaching for his.

The man nodded and once he was by her side, he gathered all her things and put her shoes in their box so he could carry it all for her.

The subway station wasn't too far from there, they made it in five minutes and the next train was about to leave. He was holding her hand the whole time, once by the door he let her purse hang from her forearm and placed the shoebox on the ground. He needed to hold her tight make sure she was real and he hadn't dreamed it all, that his mind wasn't playing him a trick and turning the sweetest of dreams into the most painful nightmare.

Claire hugged his neck and nosed into it before kissing him softly, "can I have your number? We can text while you head home and maybe meet for a coffee after work?" He suggested.

The redhead frowned and shook her head, "no." She teared up and sniffed before kissing him again.

"Why not?" His voice broke.

"Because I don't want to spend a life time waiting next to my phone wondering if you'll call or text, if you even remember my name." She gulped, feeling a couple of tears rolling down her cheek.

"I would ne—"

"Tell me one time when you hadn't done that before? Or anyone." She sighed before nibbling on her lips.

Owen didn't have an answer, he was guilty of asking many women their phone number, some he didn't ever call and some he did for a couple of days and left them behind to be forgotten. But this was different, she was different. "I love you." He admitted. Words that were supposed to be said in harmony and were meant to make you feel like the luckiest, for him were a heartbreak.

Claire smiled and pecked his lips gently a couple of times, "I love you, too~" She sincerely said back, lacing her fingers with his. The speakers warning the train was about to depart, "I have to go." She looked back to make sure the doors were still opened.

Owen gripped tight from her fingers, feeling her pull back so she could walk onto the train. She was ripping his heart out as their fingers unlaced and her lips kissed him one last time.

Claire took the seat on the other end of the train and watched him from there, he wanted to move but his brain had forgotten how to move, how to breathe, and he was sure his heart had stopped beating. He reacted and picking the shoebox from the ground he tried to get on the subway after her but the doors closed a second before he could.

Owen stayed standing in that subway station watching that train head out, he didn't move until the train was out of sight. Claire was in many ways his first love, and they say first love is the most intense and one to never be forgotten.

It was up to him now to prove her that they were meant to be, he found her once and was determined to find her again.

 **The End**

* * *

 ** _N/A:_** So I have officially wrapped my first Clawen fic. Thank you so much for reading!

I would love to hear your feedback, if you enjoyed the story what is that you loved the most. I'm also very opened to constructive criticism since as writers it helps us improve.


End file.
